DENTAL HEALTH....ACTIVE CARIES VS. ARRESTED CARIES

DENTAL HEALTH….ACTIVE CARIES VS. ARRESTED CARIES

Mar 12, 2017 News

By Dr. Neromini Fagu

Dental caries affects all populations on earth and it is considered one of the most prevalent chronic oral diseases and the second most common disease after the common cold.
There are a number of factors involved in the occurrence of dental caries, with the three main ones being sugar, bacteria and time. Foods that are high in refined sugars are not good for our teeth, and such sugars are found in a lot of the foods and drinks that we consume on a daily basis. There are over 500 species of good and bad bacteria in our mouths, and when the bad ones outnumber the good ones the balance is tipped in favour of tooth destruction. When these two causes are combined for a period of time, the acids that the bacteria produce when breaking down the sugars lead to tooth demineralization and eventually dental caries.
Tooth demineralization and remineralization are a naturally occurring cycle. Demineralization is a process whereby the minerals— calcium, phosphate and fluoride are lost from the enamel making it more susceptible to crumbling. As the structure of the tooth weakens, it becomes more sensitive and the chances of pulpal exposure increases.
Remineralization is the repairing of the teeth with these minerals. The calcium, phosphate and fluoride are contained in bonds in the enamel, and when these bonds are broken by demineralization they are repaired with calcium and phosphates found in our saliva. When our bodies don’t have sufficient amounts of these minerals the process of remineralization slows down or stops altogether, eventually resulting in tooth decay.
When preventive measures are followed and steps are taken to reverse the conditions in your mouth that led to the decay, the decay may be stabilized and prevented from progressing further. Preventive management strategies can effectively arrest and even completely reverse the caries process if the lesion is still contained within the enamel.
Differences between active and arrested (inactive) caries
· Active lesions tend to be whitish or yellowish in colour and opaque (non-glossy). Inactive lesions can be whitish, yellowish or darkened in colour but tend to be shiny or glossy.
· Active lesions are located close to the gingival margin (gum line) when the lesion is in a smooth surface. Inactive lesions are located farther away from the gingival margin.
· Active lesions feel rough when the tip of the explorer is moved gently across their surface while inactive lesions feel hard and less rough.
· Active lesions show evidence of progression or change over time, while arrested lesions do not.
· Active lesions may show an obvious hole in the tooth and caries may extend into the dentine while inactive lesions will have no apparent progression into enamel when viewed on the x-ray.
The caries process occurs in varying stages and can only be stopped or arrested in the early stages which usually means only when it is in the enamel. The progress of the lesion is from a healthy tooth to one with a non-cavitated lesion, from a non-cavitated lesion to a cavitated lesion, and from a cavitated lesion to irreversible pulpal infection or loss of tooth. It is also possible to have arrested dentine caries but it is much rarer and generally occurs on root surfaces and the easy-to-clean fronts and sides of the teeth.
In order to arrest caries, plaque must regularly be removed from the tooth surface and in between the teeth. Also, good nutrition plays a part in preventing as well as arresting decay.
Only active caries lesions require treatment. Arrested caries is often a dark brown stain that seems ingrained in the tooth and won’t come off when it is polished. It is often seen on the easy-to-clean surfaces such as the fronts and sides of your teeth, or in-between teeth where the conditions have now changed such as a tooth been extracted and so food/ plaque is no-longer getting stuck.
Since the caries is no longer active or progressing it only needs to be addressed if it poses anaesthetic problem. Interestingly, studies have shown that these arrested lesions are actually more resistant than a normal tooth to future caries.

For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to [email protected].

Latest News

DENTAL HEALTH….ACTIVE CARIES VS. ARRESTED CARIES

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Eagles survive shaky start on Rain-affected opening day

TCL hand over trophies for Mashramani Street...

Nagassar was re-elected as President of GCUC

Herstelling and Eccles SC chalk up wins in latest...

Golden Jaguars CONCACAF home match against...

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport endorses...

Features/Columnists

An Open Letter to the election observer missions

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Azruddin Mohamed development-the constants

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

DENTAL HEALTH….ACTIVE CARIES VS. ARRESTED CARIES

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]